Batteries have become an integral component of everyday life and power a wide range of commercial products, from small portable electronic devices to electric vehicles.

Even though, development of batteries, especially lithium ion batteries (LIBs), has progressed tremendously over the last few decades in energy density, efficiency, and reliability, battery capacity still cannot keep up with daily energy demand.

​Thus, the batteries constantly operate at their safety limits and are more prone to failure, even cause explosion.

These battery explosions are rare, but consequences may be catastrophic; hence, it is one of the most dangerous threats to our everyday life.

Recent, reported phone battery explosions are terrifying examples of how unpredictable and unstable the current lithium ion batteries are.

Most of these reported explosions are linked to thermal runaway due to electrolyte failures.

During typical battery operation, the temperature difference between housing and the core of the battery may be significantly different.

When battery housing is at room temperature, the battery core temperature can rise abruptly above 1000C.

Thus the electrolyte loses its integrity, which leads to a short circuit and possibly an explosion.

Many of the current electrolyte designs cannot survive this abrupt temperature rise and the battery can instantly go from normal operation to catastrophic failure.

We innovated a mechanism to address this for new line of battery technology.